The Peverell Castle: Ignotus's Legacy
by AdharaLeah
Summary: What if his legacy was more than just the cloak? War changes people. As the Potter turned Peverell family tries to pick up the pieces in the aftermath of the first war, they must also make decisions for when Voldemort returns and the second war begins.
1. Chapter 1

_**The Peverell Castle: Ignotus's Legacy **_

What if, the magic behind Ignotus Peverell and his brothers is much greater than ever explored in cannon? That, is this story.

This story is almost completely non-cannon from the Marauder's 7th year onward. It has a very manipulative Dumbledore, and a significantly less trusting James Potter, Lily Evans Potter, and Sirius Black. The story begins when Dumbledore informs the Potter's they need to go into hiding. As such, in a world that diverged from cannon four years earlier, there will be things that may be unclear at first. I promise, if you stick with me, everything will be explained in time. This is, after all, only the beginning.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, places, or anything else you may recognize from the cannon world. That all belongs to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize, however, such as several characters and a castle mentioned in this chapter, are mine.

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><p>James Potter sat on the couch, hands linked with his wife's. Dumbledore sat in an armchair opposite them. A little girl, a just three year old Katherine Potter-Black, her curly black hair framing her face, sat on her stepfather's lap, while her bright green eyes stared in wonder at the little black haired, green-eyed baby her father held in his own arms. Harry had been born just over a year earlier, and Katherine thought he was the perfect birthday present. Sirius Black smiled as his little girl watched him rock her baby brother back and forth.<p>

"Lily, there is a spy in the order, are you sure you want to speak of these things now?" Dumbledore glanced at Sirius.

"Oh that's nice, Albus, imply I'm the traitor right in front of me. Why don't I just call Voldemort here and he can finish all you off right now!"

"MOLDYWART!" Katherine squealed, clapping her hands, proud of her attempt to copy her dad. James was roaring with laughter, not even stopping when Katherine tumbled to the floor. Sirius would have been laughing just as hard if he didn't have his godson on his lap and wasn't positive Lily would murder him if anything happened to her baby boy. Harry giggled happily at Katherine's laughter, as Lily Potter watched her family with love radiating from her eyes. James was still laughing slightly as he picked Katherine off the ground and placed her back on his lap, holding her there firmly despite her squirming.

"I'm not the traitor," Sirius said bitterly.

"It's not Remus either!" Lily protested.

"Who else could it be? Peter?" Sirius asked disbelievingly. "Right, he'd be at the top of my recruitment list if I was Moldywart!"

"He'd be at mine!" Lily snapped. "He's weak, James, and he is close to us! You know what the prophecy says!"

"And you know what I think Albus can do with that prophecy. Maybe it meant Fortuna for all we know!" Sirius growled at James as Katherine looked up at the sound of her other name.

"The prophecy says he!" Dumbledore interrupted.

"All prophecy's say he, Albus!" Lily said. "What about Neville? And what exactly does 'defied him' even mean? People defy him every day! I may not agree with it or divination at all, but the point is Moldywart does!"

"Just so we're clear, we're all calling him Moldywart from now on?" Sirius asked grinning as Lily glared at him.

"Fine, we'll go into hiding," James said bitterly. "We'll be on the first flight out."

"Flight?" Dumbledore asked incredulously.

"Muggle airplanes are the easiest way to get to the Americas. My family owns a rather large castle in northern Canada."

Sirius snorted at James's modest description of Peverell Castle.

"You cannot run, James," Dumbledore said, almost angry.

"If I'm going into hiding, I'm taking my family where it is safe." James said angrily.

"Harry has a job here!"

"HARRY IS A BABY!" James shouted.

"'IG BOY!" Harry said, clapping his hands and laughing.

Sirius shushed him, before placing him on the ground so he could crawl about. With a sigh, James let Katherine off his lap, slightly dreading the mischief the two would be getting into soon enough.

"I will not allow my son to be a martyr for your so called greater good, Dumbledore. You've had years to clean up this mess and you've done nothing. My wife was attacked and raped in Hogsmeade and when we found out she was pregnant, you refused to listen to her. You told her you were disappointed in her. You only stopped when Poppy showed you the damage from the rape. And when those bastards tortured her, when she lost that baby," James hoped his acting was up to par because said baby was currently on the floor chasing her brother around, "all you said was it for the best!"

"As a preemptive measure for you going into hiding, I've informed Gringotts that you fear people pretending to be you. They've issued new keys, I will give them to you when this is over."

Sirius saw red and he and James went for their wands at the same time.

"And I need to borrow your cloak for a while if you don't mind."

"As a matter of fact, I do mind," James retorted. "And as a preparation for you manipulating my life, the cloak is safely at my ancestral home in Canada."

"Pick your secret keeper, I will be back in an hour to perform the charm. Sirius, take the muggle back to her parents." Sirius felt his blood boil. Lily had told Dumbledore that Katherine was Petunia's daughter to keep her safe.

"My sister and her husband are away on a trip, Katherine is staying here!" Lily said firmly. "And you have outstayed your welcome."

"I can persuade them to return early."

"You will do nothing of the sort!" James growled menacingly, holding Katherine in his arms. "And for the record, she is very much a witch." As he said that, Harry began floating towards Katherine.

"Katey!" Lily grabbed her son out the air, glaring sternly at the grinning three year old.

"Very well, I'll be back in an hour."

Dumbledore left, leaving two furious wizards and a very concerned witch.

"What do we do, James?" Lily asked softly.

"I've opened the portal," James whispered, shock setting in. "When I called it my home, it opened."

"As long as a member of the Peverell family lives and calls the castle home…" Sirius trailed off, and he was hopeful for the first time in years at the implications of the statement.

"No one who is pure of heart and chooses life will die in battle," Lily whispered. "James!"

"I know," James pulled his wife close to him. "Dumbledore cannot know about this!"

"Meaning neither can we," Sirius murmured.

"You want to obliviate us?" Lily snapped harshly. "Then…"

"Sirius, you can't be our secret keeper," James said softly. "He won't just kill, he'll torture you, and worse yet, he'll go after Caelum or Katey."

"Who else can we trust?" Lily asked. "I know the portal is now open, but still…"

"I sincerely doubt Moony's the spy," James said softly. "But I guess Wormtail."

Lily bit her lip, not wanting another fight with James over his friends. She knew Wormtail, and more than that, she did not want him to be the one she placed the lives of her family in.

"James, I'm not sure…" Lily began anyway.

"We let Dumbledore do the charm with me, but we'll switch to Peter soon, tomorrow even. Everyone will think it is me."

"No!" Lily shouted. "And what if something happens, Sirius? You know we cannot return here if we go through the portal! They'll throw you in Azkaban!"

"She's right, Pads," James whispered. "It is too big a risk."

"You're worth it, Prongs."

James sighed, knowing full well he could not convince Sirius of anything. "He'll be back soon," he spat, thinking of the manipulative bastard he had once trusted. "I can recall knowledge of the castle from anyone I wish, even hide my own knowledge of its existence. Once I fall through the portal, I can communicate with my heir. He'll know, Sirius, so if something happens, make sure you get to Harry. He'll hear me, and he will know what to say to trigger your memories."

"He's a baby!" Lily snapped. "How will he…"

"It will be simple enough, he'll manage it." James said softly.

"But what if Moldywart kills him too?" Lily asked shakily.

James closed his eyes, grimacing. "He can't."

"James," Sirius warned.

"I have no doubt that he is the child the prophecy speaks of," Sirius was shocked by the seriousness of his friend's voice. "Harry cannot be killed, because of the ancient magic that protects the castle. He can't die, because it would leave the Peverell family without an heir. His death would signal the end of the Peverell line, and that, by magic and by Ignotus's protection, can never happen, at least not until he reaches 11."

"So, Harry can't die?"

"Not by the killing curse, no," James said quietly. "He is too young to pass through the portal. Once he hits 11, he can. Until then, Moldywart cannot kill him with Avada Kedavra."

"Wicked," Sirius breathed. "But what would happen to him?"

"No one has ever been foolish enough to try and murder an underage Peverell heir before."

"But you go by Potter, not Peverell,"

"Even if I did go by James Charlus Peverell instead of James Henry Potter, I doubt Moldywart knows anything about the Deathly Hallows or Ignotus's legacy."

Without any warning, James retracted all knowledge of his home from both Sirius and Lily. They would, hopefully, know again soon enough.

* * *

><p>Four months earlier.<p>

Sirius Black was not having a good day. Word had come back that more members of the Order had died in the battle the previous evening. So when he was summoned to the Ministry of Magic to meet with a member of Child Services, he was none too happy.

"Mr. Black, I presume?" An older woman asked him softly.

He nodded, eyes locked on the tear stained cheeks of the little boy sitting on a chair in the office.

"Mr. Black, this is Caelum. Caelum, say hello."

"Mummy says you're a blood traitor!" Caelum spit out, glaring daggers at him.

"Your mother?"

The older woman took the liberty to answer his question. "Your cousin Bellatrix."

'Well that explained plenty,' Sirius thought.

"Your mum and I have different opinions on right and wrong, Caelum," Sirius said gently, sitting in the chair beside the boy. He had a good idea why he had been called here, and befriending the little boy would do wonders.

"She doesn't want me," he whispered.

Sirius felt his heart break for him, he certainly knew the feeling.

"Mr. Black, as Head of the Black Family, you are first in line for custody of him," the woman said gently.

"Absolutely," He didn't even have to consider it. He knew he would have Andromeda's help if he ever needed it, but he doubted he would. Being the father of Katherine Potter-Black and the godfather of Harry Potter had prepared him well enough for parenting.

"You want me?" Caelum had stopped crying, and was looking at him with such hope.

"Of course I do!" Sirius insisted, picking the boy up, and securing him on his hip. "Now, come meet my daughter and nephew, yea?"

"Yea!" Caelum said happily. He was desperate for other kids to play with.

Caelum would become fast friends with Katherine and Harry, fitting in perfectly to the Potter-Black little family.

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><p>"LILY it's him! Take Harry and run!" James fumbled for his wand, racing to the bottom of the stairs in hopes he could delay the mad man. He knew he wouldn't win, not this time. All he needed to do was hold him off for a few minutes, to give Lily and Harry enough time to get out safely.<p>

The front door was blasted off its hinges. James felt a dagger hit his gut as he realized that Wormtail was the spy. A man he'd considered to be another brother had sold him, his wife, and his child to their mortal enemy.

"You could have joined me," The cold voice hissed. "Had you given me the child, you would have been spared. But you, James Potter, are a fool."

"I'd never join you!"

"A fool." He raised his wand, pointing it at James's heart and shrieked "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

His last thoughts were of his baby boy, praying that Lily had gotten them both to safety.

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><p>Katherine Potter-Black was scared. Her mother and Uncle James thought she was still at her Dad's with Caelum. They didn't know the two of them had snuck through the floo back to Godric's Hallow because she wanted to play with Harry.<p>

Caelum Lestrange was terrified. He stood protectively in front of Katherine, seemingly forgetting that they were both hidden by James Potter's invisibility cloak. He had met the Dark Lord before, before Sirius had managed to get him away from his parents. He had heard the crash, could see part of James's dead body lying halfway up the stairs. He knew that Mrs. Potter and Harry were going to die, and that there was nothing he or Katherine could do about it. Wrapping the younger girl in his arms, as tears streamed down both their cheeks, he wondered what would happen to them now.

Katherine heard her mother beg for Harry's life and heard her scream as the killing curse took away her life. She heard the evil man turn on Harry. And then the roof began to crumble.

"RUN!" Caelum hissed, grabbing her hand and trying to pull the frozen girl towards the stairs. He froze for a moment as he realized he'd be pulling her past her uncle's dead body, but then a baby's cry startled them both.

"HARRY!" Katherine raced into the nursery and tried to get her brother out of his crib. Caelum raced in after her, shock flooding him at the lack of evil murderer and the still alive, albeit shrieking, baby Harry Potter.

He helped Katherine lift Harry and noticed the cut on his forehead. Grabbing a blanket from the floor, he mopped the blood off of it, trying not to look at the body on the floor. Somewhat reluctantly, he pulled Katherine back under the invisibility cloak as Severus Snape came into the house and cried over Lily's body. Katherine was snarling at the man, but it went unheard over Snape's sobs and Harry's shrieks.

Suddenly a noise from downstairs shook them all out of their misery. Snape, looking fearful, _disapparated_immediately and Harry's wails became louder. Katherine clung to Caelum like her life depended on it, and moments later, a completely distraught Sirius Black appeared in the doorway.

"DADDY!" Katherine cried, flinging herself into her father's arms.

Not appreciating his godfather ignoring him, Harry began shouting 'Paddy!' over and over again, until Sirius picked him up in his other arm.

"Come on," Sirius motioned for Caelum to follow him, his voice hoarse, tears streaking down his cheeks. "We've got to get out of here."

"Go home!" Harry demanded. "Dada home!"

Sirius froze, memories of his own childhood slamming back into him. Peverell Castle. Harry had never seen it, but somehow he knew. James had a similar experience after his mother had been murdered and his father went into hiding, if Sirius recalled correctly.

"Yes, Harry," Sirius said softly. "We're going home."

Caelum took the man's offered hand, clinging to it tightly.

"Do not let go, Caelum," Sirius ordered, and as Hagrid's giant form made its way over to the house, the four disappeared from Godric's Hallow. Sirius Black and Katherine Potter-Black would never be heard from again. The rise of the Peverell family had begun.


	2. Chapter 2

_**The Peverell Castle**_

_**Chapter 2: When Everything Changed**_

__I am the first to admit that this chapter is a rough one. I will also say that I never had any intention of writing it, in many ways it wrote itself. To those of you who may not like some of the things that happen in this chapter, I ask you to remember that the world is at war, and just like in Deathly Hallows, Voldemort is winning. A lot of things happen in this chapter, as this is where the divergence from cannon occurs. At the time of this chapter, they are at war, and either towards the end of this fic or in another, they will be at war again. War is not pretty and no one is left unscathed by it.

I appreciate the hits this story has been getting, though reviews would also be appreciated. I'm even okay with flames, you are entitled to your opinions, I just ask that you justify them.

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><p>It was a chilly November day in a bustling Hogsmeade Village. Today was the first visit of the year for the Hogwarts students; an earlier visit scheduled in October had been canceled in fear of a Death Eater attack. As such, the Village was filled to the brim with excited 3rd years, running from shop to shop, eager to explore the previously forbidden town.<p>

Not that Hogsmeade truly ever lost its appeal to the student body, though many older students acted like it did. The Marauders were no exception to that.

James Potter was walking through the crowded street with his best friend and brother, Sirius Black on his left and his new girlfriend, the love of his life Lily Evans, holding his hand on his right. Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew were also with the group.

"Firewhiskey?" Sirius asked, grinning at the Head Boy and Girl.

"Absolutely not, Black! What kind of example would you be setting for the 3rd years?" Lily snapped.

"Oh but, Lily Flower, we are of age, you know," Sirius grinned wider as Lily scowled at him. "Come on, Prongsie, just one!"

"Umm," he looked towards Lily whose scathing expression made his mind up for him. "I'm Head Boy, Pads, I don't think that would be the best idea."

"You are such a spoil sport, Evans,"

"Grow up, Sirius," Remus interjected, trying to prevent an explosion of Lily's temper.

The four Marauder's and Lily made their way towards Zonko's after Sirius declared he had used the last of his dungbombs to make Snape's cauldron explode the day before.

Lily, pursing her lips in disapproval, softly interrupted him. "You need to be careful, Sirius, honestly. You know what he is, who he is friends with. You-Know-Who has enough reason to go after you, don't give his followers any more ammunition to deliver."

"I'm touched, Evans," Sirius said rolling his eyes.

"I'm not kidding! You are the only Black he doesn't have! You've got to start being more careful, Sirius!" Lily glared at him.

"Let him come!" Sirius challenged. "He'll never have me."

"He'll KILL you!" Lily shrieked. James wrapped an arm around her, trying to calm her down.

"Who cares?" Sirius snapped back. "I would only be one of thousands, hundreds of thousands if this keeps up!"

The slap resounded through the street and many stopped to stare at the group. James had wrapped Lily in his arms, restraining her from hitting Sirius again. Peter stood staring at her in shock. Remus was glaring at Sirius, and Sirius held a hand where Lily's hand print was already forming on his face.

"Who cares?" Lily hissed venomously. "You don't think we would care? James wouldn't care if his best friend- his brother- was murdered for being an arrogant bastard?"

Sirius grimaced, the reality of what he had said finally hitting him.

"Lils, I didn't mean it like that," he said softly. "I know you all would care. We're at war, Lily, odds are not all of us, if any of us, will make it out alive."

"That's cheerful," Remus said sarcastically.

"Yea, Pads, start writing my eulogy now," James was being sarcastic, but the glare from his girlfriend made him wish he could take it back.

"Don't you dare make jokes like that, James Henry Potter!" James flushed furiously as Sirius and Remus catcalled.

"Sorry, love,"

"I need a break from you idiots!" She snapped with a huff, breaking free of James's grasp and storming in the direction of the Shrieking Shack.

Now it was James who was glaring at Sirius. "Good going, Padfoot, chase my girlfriend away."

"I didn't mean it, Prongs," Sirius really did feel bad for upsetting Lily like that. He shouldn't have been joking about any of them dying, he knew that.

* * *

><p>Screams came from outside where the Marauders sat inside the Three Broomsticks, enjoying butterbeers.<p>

"Shit!" James hissed, pulling out his wand and racing for the door.

"You don't have to be such a bloody hero, Prongs!" Remus snapped, racing after him.

Hogsmeade was under attack. Knowing better than to think Peter would be joining them, Sirius bolted out of the pub, disarming a Death Eater who had been ready to attack Remus, and running head first into the crowd. When he had said they might not all make it out of the war alive, he had never meant for any of them to die today.

"SIRIUS!" Jolted from his thoughts by a shout from James, he ducked as a flash of green light flew over his head. James roared and struck the Death Eater down with a quick reducto.

Students were screaming, and James thought he spotted the motionless body of a Gryffindor third year lying outside of Zonko's. Anger surged through him, and he began his attack with a vengeance.

Remus was battling two opponents at once, somehow keeping them both at bay. He overpowered one, only to have another Death Eater take his comrade's place. Where were the Professors? Where was Dumbledore?

It hit Sirius like a bolt of lightning. Lily hadn't been with them. She was out here somewhere, hopefully still alive and fighting. Fighting his way through the crowds, he tried to make his way towards the Shrieking Shack where they knew she had been last. Out of nowhere, he was grabbed from behind and pulled into an alleyway, coming face to face with Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Look who it is?" She crooned, happily, twirling her wand around in her fingers. "Itty baby Sirius."

"Go to hell, Bella," he sneered.

Bellatrix smiled, cackling with laughter before turning her wand deeper into the alley. "Crucio!"

Sirius swung his head around as the Lily's screams pierced him like a dagger to the heart. "LILY!" Turning to Bellatrix, he fought against the arms holding him captive. "YOU BITCH! I'LL KILL YOU!"

She laughed manically. "Oh Sirius, you filthy blood traitor, who are you to stop me?"

"LET HER GO!" Sirius never stopped struggling, fighting with everything he had to get away.

"I had a baby boy, cousin, did you know that?"

"Who would even touch you long enough to knock you up?" Sirius hissed as she placed the cruciatus curse on him this time.

"You are aware, I hope, of the decline of pureblood girls for which he could marry."

"I fail to see what this has to do with me or Evans," he snapped. "Let us go, you heartless bitch!"

"Oh but it does, it has everything to do with you and the little mudblood. You are still a Black, Sirius, disowned or not, and any child of yours would be more worthy than anyone else he could marry."

"Child?" Sirius asked bewildered. "Me? You've lost it, Bella."

"Have I?" She snarled. "Should you have an heir, and should you die, by pureblood law, custody would go to your mother. That child would be raised as a proper Black, a perfect match for my son."

"I'm not sure… NO!" Sirius bellowed, the reality of what she was saying slamming hard into his gut. "I won't!"

"You won't?" She said icily. "Oh but you will, Sirius, you will."

"I'd rather die!" he roared, his struggles beginning anew.

"That could be arranged," he heard Lucius Malfoy's voice in his ear.

"Silence, Lucius! Listen, blood traitor, you will, whether you like it or not. The question is will it be painful or not for the mudblood?"

"NO!" Sirius shrieked, panic building as he couldn't escape.

"So be it," Bellatrix's glare hardened. "Imperio!"

* * *

><p>When Sirius came to his senses, he was lying half clothed in the same alley he last remembered being in. Turning his head slightly, he saw the unconscious form of Lily Evans lying next to him.<p>

"Lily!" he whispered frantically, shaking her forcefully. "Lily, wake up!"

"Sirius!" Remus froze at the opening to the alley, fear griping him as he took in the scene. Lily's clothes- the little she had on- were blood stained as were Sirius's.

Sirius didn't hear him, he was so focused on trying to revive Lily. He was pulled away by Remus's gentle hands and the tears began falling freely from his eyes.

"Remus, did you…" James stood, horrified as the realization of what had happened crashed into him. "Is she…"

"She's alive," Remus said softly, "She's lost a lot of blood though."

"Go get Slughorn!" James snapped at Peter who at the sight of the occupants of the alley ran off as fast as his feet could carry him. Rounding on Sirius, he pulled out his wand. "What did you do?"

"Bellatrix was here," he rasped. "She forced me, Prongs, I…"

"She imperioused you?" James's tone softened a bit. Sirius never had been able to fight off the curse.

"Crucio too," he whimpered. Remus's grip tightened as the werewolf thought of what his friend had been through in the past hours.

"What has happened, Potter? Oh my!" Slughorn's eyes were so wide James thought they might pop out of his head.

"Bellatrix Lestrange placed the Imperious Curse on Sirius, she forced him to rape Lily," Remus explained softly.

"She used the Cruciatus Curse too," James snarled, thinking of what he would do to Bellatrix Lestrange when he got his hands on her.

Slughorn conjured stretchers for both Sirius and Lily, and a glare from James silenced any protests Sirius was trying to make. As he laid down of his own power, James and Remus gently lifted Lily up onto the other and Slughorn levitated them both up to the school and into the overcrowded hospital wing. Remus and James joined the countless other students in the hall outside it, waiting desperately for news on their friends, all of them fearing the worst.

It seemed like hours had passed before Professor McGonagall came up to Remus and James, placing a comforting hand on James's shoulder.

"Potter, they are both all right,"

"Lily won't ever be all right again!" James snarled. "Sirius either!"

"Miss Evans is stronger than you give her credit for, Mr. Potter," she said softly. "And Mr. Black will be fine. I assume you know he did not choose to do what he did?"

"OF COURSE HE DIDN'T!" James bellowed.

"Not here, Potter!" McGonagall said sharply. "Come to my office, both of you!"

Remus grabbed James's arm and pulled him towards McGonagall's office. She motioned for them to take seats in front of her desk while she sat behind it, looking at them both with a tired, defeated expression.

"Eight students were killed in Hogsmeade today," She began quietly.

James and Remus both felt their hearts plummet. Eight students, their classmates, their housemates, would never walk through these halls again.

"Eight?" James croaked. "What years? What houses?"

"Who?" Remus whispered.

McGonagall looked like she had aged a hundred years in the past day. "We aren't releasing names until the families have been notified. Professor Dumbledore will most likely announce them at breakfast in the morning. Besides," Her voice broke here, "there are countless of others in limbo in the hospital wing as we speak."

James was angry. Sure the war had been developing since before he had even started Hogwarts, but it had always seemed far away. Even when they had canceled the last Hogsmeade trip, it really hadn't hit him just how bad things were. For the first time, the war had hit him, had hit his home. He no longer doubted his ambition to become an auror. James knew he would fight until his dying day to defeat the Dark Lord. For the eight children who had died today; for Lily, who had her innocence ripped from her; for Sirius, who was forced to be everything he swore he would never be, who was forced to hurt someone he called family. For the thousands who You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters had already killed, for the thousands more James knew they would before the war ended, James planned to fight.

Remus felt sick at the thought of those eight innocent lives. The war had come to the steps of Hogwarts, and Remus knew it would not be going anywhere fast. The brutal reality of the war had hit home, and though he knew he could never be an auror, not with his furry little problem, he knew he would fight until his dying day to help take down the man turned monster who was terrorizing his world and his home.

"Sirius wasn't himself," James finally choked out.

"Of course he wasn't," McGonagall said softly. "Sirius is as far from his family as he could go, no one could ever doubt that he would willingly hurt Lily over his dead body."

"Professor, they'll both be…"

"It will be a long time before either of them are going to be okay, and they will always be scarred from this. They both will certainly need their friends more than ever now." Her eyes softened as she stared at two of her favorite students. "Of course, I have no doubt that the Marauders will be up for that challenge."

"We're family." Remus stated firmly. "And you don't turn your back on family. Ever."

"Oh, Mr. Lupin, the Marauders are more than just family," she said softly. "You four and Lily, you are what this school needs, what this world needs."

"More stupid pranks?" James asked, a shadow of a grin flashing across his face.

"More love," McGonagall was glad the boy hadn't lost his humor just yet. "More friendship; more laughter; more determination; more bravery; more loyalty. I have never been so proud of my students. Madam Rosmerta has already informed me of how the three of you ran head first into that fight, worried far more for others than for yourselves."

"Were we supposed to sit back and let others die?" James demanded.

"Many would have, Mr. Potter. And today, many shopkeepers and villagers did just that."

"Where was Professor Dumbledore?" James's anger was surfacing. "Where were the other professors? Where were the adults whose job it is to keep us safe?"

"The staff did the best they could," but even as she spoke, she knew those words would never be enough. The staff of Hogwarts had indeed failed its students today.

"Well it wasn't good enough!" James shouted, and for once, Remus did not bother stopping his friend. Moony was close to taking over, and Remus was using all his available energy to keep the beast at bay.

"Eight children died! Your best wasn't good enough for them! Sirius was forced to rape Lily! Your best wasn't good enough for them either! How many students were injured today? It seems like half the school is waiting anxiously outside the hospital wing now! How many more could die before this day ends? WHERE WAS DUMBLEDORE?" James roared, and the windows began to rattle as the force of his anger, his magic burst out of him.

"I know, Potter," she said defeated. "We failed you all today."

"Save your apologies for the parents who will never see their kid alive again," Remus spat, pulling James out of the office before he blew it up with his anger.

Up in the hospital wing, Sirius stared at the bed beside him where Lily slept, trying with all his might not to cry. What he had done, forced or not, was unforgivable. He didn't deserve James's forgiveness and he certainly didn't deserve Lily's, but he knew he had both. Madam Pomfrey had just broken down crying as a student's heart gave out. The student death toll climbed to 9, and he knew from Slughorn's loud whispers that it was soon to climb to 10 and would most likely hit 15 by morning.

Innocent children had died today and he and his friends had been some of the few fighting. Three 17 year olds had taken on countless Death Eaters. Where were their professors? Where was Dumbledore? He knew that he would fight until the day he died to get Bellatrix and her stupid master back for the damage they had caused today, and for the thousands of people they had already killed. Sirius fell into a fitful sleep thinking over the requirements for the auror program.

James and Remus had fallen into an exhausted sleep the moment they entered their dorm room. Peter, on the other hand, was wide awake. Today had shaken him. Children, his age and younger, had been thrown into a war they had no business in. James, Sirius, and Remus had run head long into the battle with no concern for their own lives. Peter was no such fool. He was selfish, very much unlike his friends, and he wanted to live through this war. The way it was going, there was no way You-Know-Who would lose. He would win, and Sirius, James, Remus, and certainly Lily would never live once that happened. Peter knew what he had to do. Tomorrow, he would go tomorrow. Say what you want about him, but he was and always would be the weakest link in the Marauder's armor.

Unfortunately for the rest of them, they would never see it until it was far too late.

* * *

><p>It had been three months since that dreadful day in Hogsmeade. When all was said and done, 16 Hogwarts students had died that day. The atmosphere in the school had been one of horror, one of fear, and one of overwhelming sadness that no speech from Dumbledore about laughing in the face of evil could dissipate.<p>

Lily Evans had slowly gone back to almost normal, though Sirius had been withdrawn until Christmas when the five of them had gone to the Potter's and Mrs. Potter had doted on both he and Lily mercilessly. In Lily's opinion, Sirius fit in much better with the Potter family then he ever would or could with the Blacks.

She glanced at a calendar on her desk absentmindedly as she got dressed for the day, happy the nausea she had been feeling lately was not bothering her this morning.

'February 6th,' Lily thought. 'Valentine's Day is coming soon, I wonder…'

Her thoughts of James and a romantic Valentine's Day evaporated as she frantically raced back over to her calendar. She was late; very, very late. And suddenly, that nauseous feeling filled her for the 8th straight day and she bolted into the bathroom.

"Lils, are you all right?" Alice McKinnon asked softly as Lily vomited again. The girls in the dorm were worried. Lily had been sick for a long time, and it was no secret what had happened to her in Hogsmeade.

"I'm late, Alice," she cried, leaning on the toilet seat for support. "I'm really late."

"Come on," Alice said decisively. "We're going to the hospital wing. Pomfrey will know what to do."

"Do? I'm in love with James Potter and pregnant with his best friend's child!" Lily shrieked.

"What?" a horrified voice sounded from the doorway.

Alice turned to find three out of four of the Marauders standing in the bathroom entrance. Remus had a pained expression on his face, his eyes sqeezed shut, as though he was hoping to wake up from a horrible nightmare soon. Sirius looked nothing short of terrified, and was shaking slightly with a hand over his mouth as though he thought he'd be joining Lily in vomiting soon enough. James was pale, his eyes widened in horror.

"Are you sure, Lily?" he asked softly, walking over to sit on the floor beside her.

"I think so," she whispered, clinging to James like he was her only life line. "My period is so late, James. What am I going to do? We're just 17!"

"We'll get through this." He murmured quietly. "You, Sirius, me, Remus, we can get through anything. My parents will help, Lils, it will be all right."

"I'm not their child! My parents will disown me!" she sobbed.

"Lily Evans, I love you," James said firmly. "Raped or not, pregnant or not, I've been in love with you since the day I met you and that will never, ever change. Sirius is my brother in every way that matters, my parents' second son. I can't speak for your parents, but mine will love you."

Alice went to class, promising Lily she would be back as soon as class ended. Remus and Sirius joined Lily and James on the floor. James did his best to try and cheer them up, but Lily and Sirius were both too terrified at the prospects of parenthood that it didn't work very well.

They had fallen into silence, Lily and Sirius clinging to each other, while James held her hand tightly, when Professor McGonagall burst in.

"Potter! Black! Lupin! Evans! What is the meaning of this?" She snapped angrily. "Skiving off classes, I expected better of the Head Boy and Head Girl!"

"I think I'm pregnant, Professor," Lily whispered. McGonagall's eyebrows went up and into her hairline and horror engulfed her at the meaning of that statement. Her expression softened, something James and Remus clearly noticed. Sirius was far too out of it, and Lily far too distraught to realize their professor was no longer the least bit angry.

"Come, Miss Evans," she said gently. "Madam Pomfrey can tell you for certain."

"I think I'm going to be sick," Sirius whispered. Remus grabbed his arm to steady him as the four stood up and made their way out of the tower following closely behind McGonagall.

* * *

><p>Lily Evans was indeed pregnant. From the moment they had found out, Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs had become ruthless in their protection of her and the unborn child. Several months after they found out, Madam Pomfrey asked Lily and Sirius if they wanted to know what they were having.<p>

"Yes!" Lily said instantly. She had finally begun to realize that regardless of the circumstances, she was having a baby, and the excitement had slowly infected the Marauders.

Sirius nodded, grinning ear to ear, while James and Remus just smiled at the pair. James had told Sirius that while what happened was horrible on all counts, at least the child was Sirius's and not some monster.

"It's a girl," she said softly.

Lily squealed and kissed James full on the lips, earning a smirk from Remus. Sirius, on the other hand, was remembering that day in Hogsmeade with more clarity than he ever wished to. Bellatrix's words hit him like a punch to his stomach and he vowed to do everything he could to protect his baby girl.

Later, when they had all gone down to the Shrieking Shack, minus Peter who had landed himself in detention yet again, Sirius voiced his concerns.

"So, by pureblood law," Lily started, eyes blazing, "if you were to die, your evil bitch of a cousin could take our daughter from me?"

"Yes," Sirius whispered.

"There are ways around it," James said quietly. "My parents spoke to me about it. You all know who I descend from."

The other four nodded. Mr. and Mrs. Potter had taken them to Peverell Castle over the holidays, and they had told them the story. Ignotus Peverell's legacy was much greater than just the cloak of invisibility. As the first true Master of Death, Death had granted him his deepest wish. Having a brother who died from the brutality of the elder wand, Ignotus feared for his descendants. His deepest wish, was that his future family could be allowed to return to the land of the living should they be murdered in cold blood. Death, knowing full well the evils of mankind, had consented, and a portal had been created deep within his ancestral home. As long as a member of the Peverell family lived and called the castle home, no one who was pure of heart and soul need die. They could choose to continue on, but the choice to return would be clearly given.

"What does that have to do with…"

"I could blood-rite adopt her,"

Remus's eyes widened. For an old family like the Potters, blood-rite adoption would be highly frowned upon.

"James," Sirius interrupted.

"No, shut up and listen. I know it is frowned upon, but it is for this reason! I'd be stealing the heir of the Black family, making her untouchable to her own family. It would save her, Sirius- Bellatrix, your brother, your parents, no one could get to her. If something were to happen to you, she'd become legally mine."

"If you're sure," Sirius said softly.

"Do either of you realize the consequences of this?" Remus nearly shouted. "She'll be your heir, James, if you have a child…"

"The Peverell line is patriarchal and so is the Potter." James stared at his friend. "The only other consequence I can think of is bringing more attention to us from You-Know-Who, and I'd rather that than Bellatrix out to steal my niece…"

"Stepdaughter," Lily and Sirius said in unison.

"Remus, you'll be her godfather, won't you?" Lily asked gently. The shocked werewolf just nodded.

"I do have an idea, though, to make this even safer," Remus suggested softly. "Give her a different name as a Black than a Potter."

"Fortuna Dorea Black," Lily said softly.

"And then Katherine Charlie Potter," Sirius's voice was just as soft as Lily's.

"We'll have to do it within moments of her birth or the rouse won't work," James warned.

"If it will keep her safe, I'd do anything," Lily just nodded in agreement with Sirius. "Though, if I can, can we keep this away from Wormtail? He doesn't know of the Castle or the reasons why we'd be doing this and in my opinion, the fewer people who know, the better off we all are."

"Agreed." James said softly. His father had demanded he keep his true heritage secret from the fourth Marauder, using that exact reasoning. The fewer people that knew, the better off they would all be in the long run.

* * *

><p>It was nearing the end of July, and a very pregnant Lily Evans had insisted on accompanying the boys to Diagon Alley.<p>

"All right, I want us in and out of here as quickly as possible!" Sirius ordered.

"This isn't some auror mission, Black," Lily snapped.

"He's right, Lils," James said softly. "You being out here is dangerous, you know how much Bellatrix wants to get her hands on Fortuna."

She sighed, but in the end agreed to their overbearing protectiveness.

"They love you," Remus grinned at her as Sirius and James tried to get her to agree to let them carry her.

Screams erupted from the entrance of Knockturn Alley and James and Sirius swore. Lily's eyes widened as she felt a contraction rip through her. Maybe this hadn't been a good idea after all. The four of them jumped back, flattening themselves against the buildings to try and stop from being trampled by the fleeing crowds.

"We have to get out of here!" James hissed as Lily stifled a scream.

"Lily, are you…"

"She's coming!"

James and Sirius exchanged panicked and frantic looks.

Remus, always the voice of reason, said, "James, can't you take us to Peverell?"

James stared at him like he had grown a second head. "I'm an idiot. Let's go!"

"What do we have here?" Bellatrix laughed manically.

"James, now!" Sirius pleaded. "Get us out of here, Prongs."

"Hold on to me, all of you!" James ordered. It wasn't soon enough.

Lily was hit full on with the cruciatus curse and nearly buckled under the pain. Remus caught her before she fell and snarled at James who had drawn his wand.

"PRONGS!"

"Right," Grabbing his girlfriend and his two best friends, he disappeared, landing in the Come and Go Room of Peverell Castle. Taking a shaking and sobbing Lily into his arms, he began to run out of the room.

"Prongs, she needs a healer!" Remus yelled running after him, dragging Sirius with him.

"There's a school here too, didn't I tell you that?" James shouted back.

"A school here," Remus said in disbelief. "Who the bloody hell is James Potter?"

"A very powerful young man," a voice behind them spoke softly, "who will soon to be Head of the Most Ancient and Powerful family on earth."

"Mr. Potter!" Sirius cried desperately, and the man engulfed his second son in his arms.

"She'll be all right, son," he said, gently patting Sirius's back.

"But…"

"I know what happened, Sirius. I called him here, seems James forgot what to do in a moment of panic."

"You can communicate with him mentally?" Remus asked in shock.

"Only in moments of incredible distress, when the castle senses its heir needs help."

"The castle, it is alive?" Sirius sputtered.

"Of course it is," Charlus Potter grinned at him.

"You Potters are going to drive me mental!" Sirius declared.

"You're already mental, mate," James called from the top of a staircase. "Now get up here before your daughter is born without you here and Lily kills us both."

Two hours later, Fortuna Dorea Black took her first breath. Within minutes though, she ceased to exist, and Katherine Charlie Potter-Black took her place. She would be the heir to the Black family as long as Sirius lived, and as long as James was childless the potential heir to both the Potter and Peverell lines as well. Patriarchal lines or not, they still wanted an heir, something Charlus Potter neglected to tell James or Sirius until after Katherine was blood-rite adopted.

Lily and Katherine suffered no harm from the cruciatus curse, something everyone was incredibly thankful for. As far as the wizarding world in England was concerned, Lily Evans lost the baby when she was hit with the curse by Rodolphus Lestrange, Bellatrix's just as insane husband. Katherine was simply Lily's niece, who her magic hating sister refused to handle.

Katherine Charlie Potter had jet black hair, just like her father and 'stepfather' and bright green eyes like her mother. She was a perfectly content baby, who proved she was a witch when she was only four months old by constantly summoning the quaffle to her when she would sit outside in her carrier with her mother and watch James and Sirius play Quidditch.

One year after her birth, Lily Evans became Lily Potter, and no one was happier for the two of them than her father. Sirius was thrilled to see his friends happy, and he had his own bundle of joy in his daughter. That was enough for him.

Dorea Potter was murdered in another attack on Diagon Alley just months after Katherine's birth, and Charlus Potter died of a broken heart weeks later. James officially carried the mantle as Head of the Potter Family and the Peverell Family. Knowing full well how risky his position was without an heir, he was thrilled to find that months after their wedding, Lily was pregnant again, this time with a boy.

Harry James Potter was born on July 31st 1980, two years and a day after his sister. He became Katherine Potter's best friend and favorite birthday present ever. As their little family grew to include Caelum Lestrange after he had been removed from his parents due to child abuse, Katherine and Harry grew happy and loved. That Halloween, everything could have changed had it not been for Ignotus's legacy and James and Sirius already distrusting Dumbledore.

Instead, when James Potter was hit by the killing curse, he found himself in the Come and Go Room once again. He became James Charlus Peverell, the head of the most ancient family on earth, as well as Headmaster of the Peverell School of Magic. That moment, when James Potter died and James Peverell took his place, well, that is where our story truly begins.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Peverell Castle: Ignotus's Legacy**

**Chapter 3**

* * *

><p>He felt like he had been spinning for ages when he tumbled to the ground in a heap and a soft gold rug. With a content sigh, he picked himself up off the ground and glanced around. Mahogany features brought life to the crimson and gold room. The Come and Go Room really was a magical place.<p>

There was a couch off to the side of the room that looked like it had been there forever, but showed no signs of age. Deciding it would only be minutes until Lily was sure to join him, James Potter- no, James Peverell- sat on the couch to wait.

Happy as he was to be safe and to be home, his emotions were running rampant. Peter… It had been Wormtail all along. When did he first turn traitor? They were supposed to be brothers, friends until the end. That thought cut at him though; he hadn't been that great a friend to Peter ever since that day in Hogsmeade. The two other Marauders and Lily had kept their fair share of secrets from him too. Regardless, he couldn't fathom how a man he had once called his brother could sell him, his wife, and infant son to that madman. He knew Peter had willingly given them up, that much was certain. It was the why he couldn't and quite possibly would never understand.

It was sudden and unexpected, but he was in his son's mind, staring out of his son's eyes as Katherine flung herself into Sirius's arms. It was time, James knew. "Harry, Harry, its Daddy. Tell Sirius to 'Go home.' Tell him to come to my home, Harry."

James felt a relieved sigh as the words tumbled out of Harry's mouth, as the spark of recognition entered Sirius's eyes. They were coming. He pulled himself out of the boy's mind and watched and waited for his wife.

Soft bells started ringing, both in the room and in his mind. Whenever someone was coming through the portal, James would know. No one could leave this room and enter the rest of the castle without his permission. Standing up, he engulfed Lily in his arms and let her sob for everything they had been through in the past weeks and months, and well, years really.

"Harry!" she sobbed.

"He's fine," James reassured her. "He's with Sirius. They are coming, Lils. He's all right."

"But…" she sputtered. "How?"

"I haven't the slightest clue. I'm sure Albus will have plenty of insight into this."

"Does this mean… the prophecy… is it over?"

"I doubt this is over," James said with a resigned acceptance. "Whatever happened tonight, we haven't seen the last of Voldemort. He marked Harry as his equal tonight, that much I am certain of. This is far from over."

Lily sighed and sat down on the couch. "When will they get here?"

"It does take some time to apparate across the Atlantic Ocean," James said grinning at her. "And Padfoot always has been a bit slow. They'll be at the front gates in a few minutes, though, so we should probably start heading down there now."

James was right. He and Lily approached the gates at the same time Sirius and the three children became visible. Katherine bolted towards them and James picked her up and let her sob helplessly into his shoulder for a while. Lily wrapped Caelum in her arms, trying to comfort the 4 year old the best she could. Once the toddlers were slightly calmer, the Potters turned their attention to the grinning bundle in Sirius's arms.

"Da!" Harry cheered happily, clapping his hands loudly. "Da home!"

James smiled softly and planted a kiss on Harry's already messy mop of hair. "Good job, Harry," he said softly, as Katherine clutched his neck even tighter.

* * *

><p>James sighed as he looked out of his bedroom window and over the grounds that belonged to Peverell Castle. He could faintly see Quidditch practice going on in the distant pitch on the school side of the castle. Within hours of Sirius's arrival, the Potter-Black family had made the decision to disappear from the public eye for a while. None of them were sure what happened when Voldemort had tried to kill Harry, and until James knew, he refused to put his family in jeopardy.<p>

"No news is good news, James," Lily said softly, coming up beside him and gently wrapping an arm around her husband's torso. "Don't worry so much."

"How can I not?" James said, running a hand through his messy hair. "A week ago, the world was at war and Voldemort was winning! Now, as far as England goes, we are dead, our children missing, and Sirius was our secret keeper. We have no idea what happened to Voldemort, and that terrifies me, Lils. He could be anywhere, right outside the gates even, waiting to hurt Harry again."

"Oh, James," she sighed. Lily hated seeing him like this.

It was torture, to watch him worry so much about their lives. This wasn't what they had dreamed of. They had dreamed of lots of kids running amuck in their cottage in Godric's Hallow. James had dreamed of becoming an auror, and she had held onto dreams of maybe even working in the Department of Mysteries. She had dreams for her children. All of their dreams crashed and burned the day Dumbledore told them the prophecy.

What she wouldn't do to get her hands on the slimy snake who told the first half of it to Voldemort.

Sirius sat in a rocking chair in the kids' room, holding Katherine to his chest as she sobbed, wide awake after another nightmare. He hated himself for talking James and Lily into switching to Peter. It was his fault that Caelum, Katherine, and Harry had seen what they had, been through the horrors they had so young. He would make Wormtail pay one day, and if he had to listen to his daughter's heartbroken sobs another night, that one day would be coming sooner than he planned.

Caelum sat up in his bed at the sound of Katherine's tears, as he had every night since Halloween. He felt a surge of protectiveness towards his friend, and he swore he would hurt the Dark Lord for hurting her. One day.

Harry Potter was a very confused little boy. Snuggling close to his father's chest, he couldn't understand why he kept dreaming of a bright green light and his Mummy screaming. He couldn't understand why they weren't home anymore. And he couldn't understand why his Daddy and Paddy got sad when he asked for Moo'ey. Deciding sleep was more important than any of those answers, he yawned and moments later was sound asleep in James's arms.

James felt Harry stop fighting his struggle to stay awake and couldn't help but smile slightly as he fell peacefully asleep in his arms. He knew it wouldn't be long until he woke up screaming his head off from the nightmare again, but he'd enjoy the quiet while they had it. Katherine had finally fallen asleep, with Sirius transformed into Padfoot snuggled up beside her. Lily was rubbing Caelum's back trying to get the four year old to sleep.

He placed Harry in his crib and sat on the bed, waiting for Lily to come in. When she did, she found James staring at a picture of the Marauders.

"James," Lily said gently. "Don't do this…"

She was cut off as James got up and angrily threw the picture across the room, smashing into a wall with a resounding bang. The sounds of the glass shattering as it hit the floor woke Harry up and he stood in his crib to try and see what had happened, his hair sticking up in every direction, his green eyes wide and curious.

"James!" Lily gasped.

"We're in hiding, Moony thinks we are dead, and Wormtail will be the next time I see him!" James roared. "Best friends for life my ass!

"ASS!" Harry grinned, clapping his hands grinning up at his Dad, who now had a sheepish smile on his face as Lily glared at him.

"Couch!" She demanded, pointing towards the living room.

"Fine," James lifted Harry up into his arms. "But I'm taking Harry with me!"

"Fine!" Lily gave him another glare for good measure, but it was half hearted as she saw the smile engulf her husband's face as Harry ripped his glasses off his face and shoved them onto his own.

"Oh Harry, you don't need those yet, mate!" James exclaimed laughing. "Those are mine, buddy."

"Mine!" Harry demanded. "My Da!"

James laughed and Lily smiled genuinely for the first time in weeks. "My Harry! But, I need my glasses back."

"No, mine!"

"Please?"

"No!"

"Lily…"

"Good night, James. Good night, Harry," She said grinning as she shoved her husband out the door and closed it behind him.

"Bye, bye!" Harry waved at her, James's glasses still firmly held in his hand.

They would be okay, Lily thought. It would be a long road to get there, but they would be okay again. Hopefully as time went on, their nightmares would fade and maybe they could even have the lives she had dreamed about.

James settled down on one of the couches in their family quarters watching Harry fly around the room on his training broom, laughing happily as he nearly crashed into two walls and then another couch.

"Watch where you are going, Pronglet!" Sirius laughed as Harry missed him by inches. "Prongs, your son just tried to behead me with a broomstick!"

James smiled, but it didn't meet his eyes, and Sirius's gaze was drawn to the bottle of Firewhiskey in his hand.

"Don't let Lily know you are drinking and watching Harry fly at the same time. Shouldn't he be in bed, anyway? Katherine won't be happy if he's allowed up and she isn't."

"He was in bed." James said softly. "And then I lost it, chucked a picture of the Marauders clear across the room. He woke up when it shattered. He also repeated the word 'ass' and got me sentenced to the couch for the night."

"I miss Moony," Sirius said miserably. "How could we have thought he was the traitor? I mean, he's Moony!"

"Tell me about it," James's voice was as miserable as Sirius's. "We botched this one up bad, Pads. I'd send him an owl, but we have no idea what is going on over there! Lily says no news is good news, but I'm worried, really worried."

"Me too," Sirius whispered. "Merlin, James, Voldemort wasn't there when I was, and Harry's scar… Caelum says he just disappeared and then the roof started to cave in! What happened that night?"

"That bloody prophecy," James growled. "Harry or Neville, why did he have to pick Harry?"

"James," Sirius warned. "You'll feel terrible if something happens to Neville, don't say that! And you know as well as I do, he probably planned to kill them both."

"Neville's not my son, Sirius," James snapped harshly. "I know I'm being as selfish as a Slytherin right now, but I don't care! He won't touch my son again. I don't care what I have to do to stop it."

"You could let Harry die with you and Lily." Sirius suggested. "All of you become Peverells. You already have, and honestly, James, don't you think it is time to stop hiding? Create another identity for Lily, Harry, and Katherine. Start living again."

"And what about you?" James asked. "What about Sirius Black? The world thinks you were our secret keeper, and Caelum said Snape was in Godric's Hallow- he knows Harry lived!"

"I'll go after Peter," Sirius shrugged. "I'm the only one with nothing to lose."

"Nothing to lose?" James growled. "What about your daughter? Your godson? Caelum? What about me and Lily, Sirius? How could you possibly think you have nothing to lose?"

"You'd raise Katherine like your own, James," Sirius argued back. "And you know it is only a matter of time before Lucius Malfoy begins his quest for custody of Caelum!"

"I'm not Katherine's father, you are!" James was furious. Harry stopped flying, his eyes wide as his favorite big people fought.

"He needs to die!" Sirius growled.

"It's my family he tried to destroy! If anyone has a right to kill him, it's me!"

"You've got a family, James!"

"So do you!" James roared. "You'll get caught and chucked in Azkaban and there won't be a thing I can do about it! You can't do this!"

"What on earth are you two fighting about?" Lily hissed, flinging open the door to their bedroom and scooping Harry up into her arms.

"Hey, how come Harry's not in bed?" Katherine demanded, hands on her hips. "If I have to sleep, so does he! He's the baby!"

"NOT A BABY!" Harry yelled, fighting in Lily's arms to get back to his broomstick. "You a baby!"

Katherine glared at him and Caelum stumbled sleepily into the room. "What's going on?"

Lily's eyes had zeroed in on the bottle of Firewhiskey on the table and turned to James, now furious. "Firewhiskey? You're drinking and letting Harry fly?"

"I never opened it!" James snapped. "And I'm yelling at my idiot best friend who thinks getting thrown in Azkaban is the best thing he can do for this family!"

"Bed!" Lily ordered Katherine and Caelum, both of whom began protesting at once. "Go, Harry's coming with you." Moments later, she had settled the three kids down listening to the wireless and stormed back out into the living room.

"James, listen…"

"I'm not listening to anymore of this!" James hissed.

"Sirius, how could you possibly think that is any way the right thing to do for us?" Lily snapped. "Do you have any idea what that would do to Katherine?"

"Lily, someone has to kill him!" Sirius pleaded.

"It will not be you," Lily snapped. "You will not tear this family apart like that, do you understand?"

"Lily, I…"

"Sirius Black," Lily hissed. "You will not hunt him down, you will not kill him! You can't do that- not to Katherine, not to Caelum, and not to us!"

"Caelum will be in Malfoy's hands soon enough!" Sirius yelled. "They think I handed you and James to Voldemort, Lily! Malfoy will bribe his way out of it, and they will come after Caelum!"

"First of all," Lily's voice was deadly. "We have no idea what England thinks has happened. Secondly, do you really believe that James and I didn't take steps to protect this family at all costs should something happen?"

"But, Caelum…"

"Sirius, don't be angry," James said quietly. "But we've planned for this. We planned for either Voldemort attacking you or Dumbledore blaming you. According to the Ministry of the Americas, you gave custody of Caelum and Katherine to James Potter three days after Harry's first birthday. In our will, we left custody of all three of them to the Peverell School of Magic. You have 10 days to come claim them, and if you don't, they will become wards of the current Headmaster until they reach their majority. Our will was ironclad, there is nothing the British Ministry of Magic or Albus Dumbledore can do about it."

"Ten days?" Sirius choked out. "James, it has already been eight!"

"We know," Lily said softly. "Tomorrow, James is taking his rightful place as Headmaster, and the Potter family will cease to exist. That clause is only in there in case sometime in the future we change our minds about hiding Harry. And for Caelum, of course."

"When were you planning on telling me any of this?" Sirius demanded. "That's my daughter!"

"Oh so now you remember her?" James asked coldly. "Minutes ago you were trying to convince me to raise her as my own when you run off and kill Peter, getting yourself thrown in Azkaban!"

"Sirius, we've spent months debating what to do," Lily was near tears. "You were pretending to be our secret keeper, Sirius! You couldn't know, if Voldemort got to you, we wouldn't be safe anywhere. Those papers we filed giving us custody of Caelum were backdated. We sent those when we switched to Peter. We were scared, Sirius!"

"What if the portal hadn't opened?" Sirius yelled. "What if you and James had died? You'd be giving our children to strangers! The current Headmaster…"

"Would have been you," James said softly. "My father adopted you into the Peverell family. Had I died, you would have been brought here immediately and taken over as head of family and Headmaster. The castle's magic would have brought Harry, Katherine, and Caelum here just as quickly. They would have gone to you, and you would have been secure in a position where you couldn't go off on some revenge mission! Everything we did, we did it to protect the people that mean the most to us, Sirius."

Sirius Black stared at his best friend, his brother, in shock. "When did you become so manipulative, Prongs?"

"The day that bastard threatened my family," James said evenly. "I told you before- Voldemort will never touch my son again."

"What if he comes back?" Sirius questioned. "This is all well and good but what happens if he comes back? How could you possibly protect him then?"

"Within a year, I will be the most powerful man in the world, Sirius," James sighed. "With my family name behind me, I am Headmaster of the oldest and greatest school of magic, as well as the representative to the ICW for the Ministry here. The Ministry stands behind this school, and me, not the other way around. Here, what I say is practically law. There hasn't been a Peverell in charge of the school in 60 years, but now that I am, the might of my family name is mine to yield. Voldemort has never been interested in the Americas."

"With Harry Potter dead, he'll go after Dumbledore, and he isn't as young as he used to be," Sirius warned. "The Atlantic won't stop him, should he choose to cross it!"

James and Lily shared a look. "We know," Lily said, not bringing herself to meet Sirius's eyes.

"If he approaches me," James closed his eyes as though it made him ill to even think of it. "If Lord Voldemort ever approaches me and asks for an alliance, he will have it. I will not take the mark, but I will side with him, work with him."

Sirius felt his eyes widen as he heard James's words. "You… you'd join him? James, you can't!"

"If that is what it takes to keep this family safe," James snapped, "then I will. If he hadn't been after my son, I would have done it as James Potter too."

"Lily!" Sirius pleaded with her. "You can't!"

"Do you think this was an easy decision?" Lily snarled. "Because it wasn't, Sirius! But I agree with James. I will not let that monster hurt my family ever again. And if an alliance with him would keep my children safe, if that's what it takes, then I'd do it in a heartbeat."

Sirius was gaping at his two best friends. "And what about the innocents he'll slaughter?"

"We'll do our best to protect them," James said quietly. "Look, Sirius, I hope it never comes to that, but if it does, it does. My question is will you stand with us? Will you let Sirius Black die with the Potters, become Orion Peverell?"

"No," Sirius said quietly. "I'm not going to run, James."

"Padfoot, listen…"

"Don't call me that!" Sirius snapped. "Only a Marauder can call me that, and you, James Peverell, are not now and never truly were a Marauder."

"You think I'm running?" James had finally snapped. He was more furious than Sirius had ever seen him, and he had to admit that it was a bit terrifying. "You think that was an easy decision to make? Merlin, I hope it never comes to that, because I'll never forgive myself for doing it. I'll never forgive myself for admitting that I would rather let him slaughter hundreds of thousands then touch another hair on my son's head. James Potter is dead, Sirius, and nothing can bring him back. Voldemort will come after me eventually, I'm sure of it!"

"James, I…"

"Just agree to it, Sirius, and I swear I'll explain everything. Until you do, I can't tell you anything more."

"You think I'd sell you out?" Sirius spat, incredulously. "After everything…"

"You still want to go after Pettigrew!" James roared. "You'll get caught and drugged up with veritaserum, and all our secrets will come out with it!"

"So obliviate me then!" Sirius hissed. "Go on, why don't you let me forget our whole friendship then!"

"Don't be stupid, Sirius!" Lily snapped. "You are blowing this out of proportion! There's no saying he'll approach us, there's no saying he'll even come back! Maybe he really did die that night!"

"You don't believe that," Sirius muttered.

"No, we don't." James said, a bit calmer now. "He was much more than a man and I really doubt a rebounding curse could kill him."

"There's no way around the killing curse, except for that portal and there is no way in hell he'd be allowed through it!" Sirius exclaimed.

"I know that!" James sighed. "But something made part of the house collapse didn't it? Something happened that night, something no one could possibly explain except possibly for him."

"You really would wish this on Frank and Alice?" Sirius asked hesitantly. "You really wish he had gone after Neville?"

"Yes." James said so softly, Sirius had to strain to hear him, though the pain in his hazel eyes would have given his answer away even if he hadn't heard the word.

* * *

><p>James sat in the Head's office the next morning, glancing around at an office that in several hours would be his. The current Headmistress had promised him she would just be a moment. Elisabeth Grisholtz had been the Headmistress since before he had started primary school here 15 years earlier. She had been a close friend of his mother's and had been someone James turned to frequently for advice after his parents' deaths. He held a great deal of respect for her, and was more than a little apprehensive at having to fill her shoes.<p>

"James," Headmistress Grisholtz was an older woman with gray hair pulled back in a tight bun. When James had started Hogwarts, he found the similarities between her and Professor McGonagall almost frightening.

"Headmistress," James said, worried slightly by the look on her face.

"James, you and Lily really need to read these." She handed him copies of previous Daily Prophets. "Not now, but later today. Things in England, well, they aren't good. The Potter family needs to die, James. You need those new identities, and you need them soon."

James just nodded, scared to even open the papers.

"As of this morning, you are Headmaster of this school. I'm sure you felt the magic accept you?" Again James nodded. "Tomorrow, you will need to make an appearance at breakfast so the students can meet you. I'll finish teaching my classes for the remainder of the term while you settle in, and then in January, you will take over. Understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am," He grinned at her as she rolled her eyes.

"You've given me half the gray hairs I have, James Potter!" James tried to stifle his laughter, but as she glared at him, he lost his battle. "Get out of here! Go read the Prophet with your wife and deal with what you must. You will be ready to announce yourself as James Peverell tomorrow morning and not a minute later, yes?"

"Yes." James left the office and headed back to the family quarters. Opening the door, he was almost hit in the face by a quaffle and then knocked over by an overly enthusiastic Caelum on a training broom.

"Does your mother know you are playing with a quaffle?" James asked, somewhat annoyed as he picked himself up off the ground.

Caelum grinned innocently as Katherine began explaining that Lily and Sirius were sleeping and so it was okay because no one had said they couldn't.

James shook his head at the three year old. "Well, I'm saying you can't. Get off your brooms, please, and go wash up for breakfast. Yes, Harry, you too." He insisted as he picked his son up off the broom, much to the little boy's dismay.

Lily woke up soon after, and James sent Katherine and Caelum in to wake Sirius, who based on his scream, had been woken by cold water again.

"You think they could be more original!" James sighed as Lily sat down next to him.

"James, they are 3 and 4!"

"I know, I know," James held his hands up in mock surrender as two giggling children came running into the kitchen, Sirius on their heels.

"Prongs, I think these two need pranking lessons." Sirius said grinning.

"I give up," Lily sighed, causing both Marauders to snigger.

After breakfast, the kids were playing in Katherine and Caelum's room when James placed the copies of the Daily Prophet on the table. He had read the ones immediately following Halloween while Lily and Sirius had cleaned up from breakfast, and he didn't like what he had read. Snape had told Dumbledore Harry survived and his infant son was being heralded as a hero. Voldemort had, for a time at least, met his demise that night. More disturbing was that the whole world was out for Sirius's head. It seemed Dumbledore believed that he had kidnapped Harry.

"Where did you get these?" Lily asked horrified as she picked up the paper from November 1st that had their half destroyed home glaring up at her from the cover.

"Headmistress Grisholtz," James said quietly. "I read the first few, but…"

"Oh my God!" Sirius looked like he was going to be sick, and shoved the paper into James's hands. Taking it with shaking hands, he felt like he couldn't breathe as he read the words. Unlike Sirius, he was unable to overcome the nausea and promptly threw up his breakfast and the previous night's dinner.

"James, are you alright?" Lily rubbed his back gently as he coughed up the rest, trying unsuccessfully to catch his breath. "Sirius, what happened?"

"Bellatrix tortured Frank and Alice into insanity."

Lily felt the tears begin to fall freely from her eyes as James wrapped her in his arms. That could have been them.

All the things he had said about wishing Voldemort had chosen them were running repeatedly through his head and he was sickened as his own voice continued to echo. While he did wish his son had not been the child who had been targeted, he would never wish what the Death Eaters had done to the Longbottoms on anyone.

"And Neville? Is he alright?" he heard Lily ask Sirius.

"They think so; he's living with Augusta now. Merlin, I thought the war was supposed to be over!"

After what seemed like forever, James had calmed down enough to sit back at the table. Picking up the current edition, he felt his eyes widen as a very familiar looking little boy's body was splashed across the front page. Trying his best to look casual so he wouldn't alarm Lily or Sirius, he read the article it went with.

_**Body of Harry Potter found in muggle alley way- Ministry believes Black to be his killer.**_

Sirius had known James for far too long to not recognize the horrified look in his eyes. "Prongs? What does it say?"

Lily glanced over her husband's shoulder, and at the sight of the picture gasped and ran into the children's room. Harry's indignant squeak confirmed James's thoughts of what she was doing.

"Someone's framed you, Sirius," he said quietly, watching Sirius's face the whole time. "The Ministry believes you killed Harry."

"Harry?" Sirius asked in disbelief. "But surely…" He trailed off as he grabbed the paper from James's hands, his eyes widening in shock and horror, before he too bolted into the room to reassure himself Harry was alive.

James looked at the picture more closely and almost as if he knew what he would find, his eyes found a familiar looking rat in the top corner of the picture. Crumbling the paper into a ball he threw it into the fire, fuming at the lengths at which his former friend had gone to truly betray them all.

* * *

><p>Today was the 11th day since Lily and James Potter had been murdered. Sirius Black's ten days to claim the three children had ended and now all three were in the custody of James Peverell and there was nothing Albus Dumbledore could do about it. That didn't mean James was prepared to take chances he didn't have to.<p>

Lily Potter smiled softly at her husband as he got dressed. Tiny feet echoed on the wooden floors outside their room and sure enough, the door was pushed open and Harry wobbled into his parent's room, followed closely by Katherine.

"Katey, do you remember what is happening today?" Lily asked her daughter gently. Katherine had not been happy to find out that she would have to pretend James was her father.

"Yea," she said dejectedly. "I've gots to change my name and so does Harry, and I gots to call Uncle James Daddy now. I don't wanna, Mummy!"

"I'm sorry, sweet heart," Lily tried to hug her, but she turned away.

"Katey," James said, kneeling down to eye level with her. "I've got an idea."

"No!"

"I promise it is a good one," James persisted. "I'm not your Daddy, Katey, and I could never, ever replace him. Katherine Potter-Black will always be Sirius Black's daughter, right?"

"Yes," she sniffled, the tears she had been fighting for so long finally falling.

"Well, Katherine Potter-Black won't be calling me Daddy, Adhara Peverell will. Think of it as playing a game!"

"Like acting!" Katherine grinned up at her favorite uncle. "I'm playing Adhara and you're Adhara's Daddy, so I've gots to call you that!"

"Is that all right?" James asked.

"Yes." Katherine nodded. "Am I still Katherine now?"

"Yes, baby,"

"Good. Daddy!" She raced out of the room to find Sirius.

James stood up to see Lily near tears again. "Lily,"

"Are you sure this is the right thing, James? Because it feels so wrong."

"I know," James agreed, pulling her into his arms. "I wish we could tell him everything. Maybe then he would forgive me."

"We can't, James! He can't know, not until he's not in danger of being thrown in Azkaban. The point of the plan is to save us, and if it gets out what we are planning, the second Voldemort returns, we will be the first ones he goes after."

"I know. Lily, I… I think he might have been on to something about obliviating him. I'm not sure what choice we have. If he is going to go off on some suicide mission, I cannot let him jeopardize our family. He knows too much."

"You could really do that?" Lily gasped. "Obliviate your best friend? James, I don't know, that just seems wrong somehow!"

"He won't agree to take the protection! And is that any more wrong than planning to bow down to Voldemort when he returns?"

"When did this happen? When did we become the people who justify one thing because it isn't as bad as another? What happened to right and wrong? What happened to our dying day, James?"

"Lily," James sighed. "If everything goes as planned, we'll be the ones who kill him. We'll be defying him from plain sight. You've read my father's plans, what he considered doing. Think of how many children we could save! An alliance with America would be too good for him to pass up on, Lily, he'll be willing to negotiate."

"Just because he was willing to negotiate with your father doesn't mean he'll be willing to do so with you."

"I'm the biggest threat he has. Dumbledore will be killed next time; I have no doubt of that. With Harry Potter dead…"

"He won't believe that, though!" Lily argued. "He will know Sirius was never his, would have died before he betrayed us. He will hunt Harry to the ends of the earth, James!"

"And with the might of our Ministry by his side, he could search forever. With us siding with him, he will never find him!"

"Not yet." Lily said finally. "You won't obliviate him yet. I have to hope he will change his mind, he has to. He has to see reason!"

"I don't think Sirius Black has seen reason a day in his life." James said dryly.

* * *

><p>While James Peverell had taken over as Headmaster of the Peverell School of Magic with his wife Georgina by his side, they had hidden the children for the time being. Katherine needed time to adjust to being Adhara Leah Peverell, just as Harry needed time to start answering to Griffin James. Caelum just needed time to wrap his head around everything.<p>

Sirius looked up as the door to the Family Wing opened, grinning as James walked back in.

"This is bloody exhausting!" James declared, collapsing into the couch beside Sirius. "Merlin, who on earth came up with the idea to make this place a boarding school for 5 year olds?"

"James," Lily sighed, a hand on her hip. "Those children were either orphaned or abused! It is wonderful that they feel comfortable enough to wreck havoc!"

"Wonderful for you, maybe!' James retorted. "You aren't the one who has to yell at them! We aren't letting Adhara near any of them, they'll corrupt her!"

"I highly doubt that will work once Caelum starts next year," Lily shouted as she wondered into their kitchen. "Or when she starts the year after!"

"Yes, but they'll be living in here, with us! They won't be able to get up to nearly as much mischief!"

Lily walked back into the living room. "Caelum has been living with Sirius for months, James, and Adhara is the daughter of one Marauder and was blood-rite adopted by another. Just admit that we're doomed and be done with it!"

"Just wait until it is Harry's turn," Sirius piped up. "He's worse than both of them combined and he isn't even 18 months yet!"

James just moaned.

* * *

><p>James Peverell had a headache. He sat in his office, forced to listen to a dull and dreadful drone coming from an ugly man in a bowler hat.<p>

"You must see reason, Peverell!"

"The Potter's will was ironclad." James said coldly. "They had custody of Caelum Lestrange as of August 3rd. It was their right and duty to provide arrangements in case the worst happened. I'm sorry that you do not agree with their arrangements, but I will not go against their wishes. The only one who could take Caelum from here was Sirius Black, but his 10 days to do so have expired. Caelum is in my custody and will be until he comes of age."

"The Malfoys are family!"

"And Lucius is a Death Eater," James snapped back. "I will not accept his bribes as you have, Cornelius. You are wasting both of our time, and though I know you have loads of it to waste, I on the other hand have a school to run."

"Caelum Lestrange should never have been given to Black in the first place!" Fudge bellowed, his face turning purple in his anger.

"Well that is a mistake of your Ministry," James was just about to force the man out of his office. "Lily and James Potter had custody the day they died, and therefore are the ones who could dictate where he would go. Now I've had enough of your stupidity. Tell Mr. Malfoy he will not be getting custody of his nephew, and that should he try to do anything to me in retribution, England will have a war with the Americas on its hands."

Fudge paled as he comprehended James's words, and the reality of just how powerful and fierce a man James Peverell was sunk in.

"And I assume that another war is not what you want, am I right, Minister?"

"Yes, well, of course!" Fudge sputtered.

"Then you agree that you have no business here any longer."

Fudge practically sprinted off the grounds, which Sirius Black watched in near hysterics from his window. Why the moron thought he could change James's mind, he had no idea. Minutes later, James threw open the door and grabbed a butterbeer from the cold box.

"What an imbecile," James sighed. "How did he ever get elected Minister? I thought Crouch had that in the bag, though thank Merlin he didn't. Lucius might be in Azkaban, but it wouldn't be worth having to deal with Barty."

"Yes, well, when your son turns out to be a Death Eater it tends to put a damper on your chances of becoming Minister," Lily said from the doorway. "I take it Fudge is gone?"

"With the threat of war if Lucius tries anything funny to get Caelum," James assured her. "Though my headache hasn't left yet."

Lily and Sirius shared a grin, much to James's dismay.

"You have no idea how painful it was to listen to that man go on. It felt like I was in there for ages! Stupid idiot," He mumbled.

"Don't you be teaching Griffin anymore of those words, James Peverell, or you will be sleeping on the couch for a very long time!"

James saw the hint of longing in Sirius's eyes. This whole act was incredibly difficult on his best friend, he knew that.

"Sirius, please, you can still become Orion!" James pleaded.

"I… Moony needs to know the truth, James," Sirius said quietly. "I'll go back as Padfoot, no one will find me, no one knows about our animagus forms."

"Except for Wormtail!" James nearly shouted. "Damn it, Sirius, you can't go back!"

"James, I have to!"

"Padfoot, please!" James begged. "Don't do this! I miss Moony too, but Azkaban isn't worth it! Please, Sirius, don't!"

"Prongs, I'm sorry," Sirius sighed. "I've already said goodbye to Adhara, Griffin, and Caelum. I'll be back, I'm just going to talk to Moony, I won't go after Wormtail, Prongs, I promise."

"Oh Sirius!" Lily sobbed, pulling the man close and wrapping her arms around him. Her eyes met James's over his shoulder and she nodded imperceptibly, though James saw it since he had been looking for it.

He felt his heart break as he concentrated on the memory of them telling Sirius they would side with Voldemort and with a shaky arm, raised his wand to the back of Sirius's head. "Obliviate."

If Sirius realized he was missing a very important memory, he never mentioned it. James let out a sigh of relief as he hugged his brother and best friend in one.

"Straight to Moony's and straight back!" James said seriously. "No side missions to hunt the traitor, got it, Pads?"

"Marauder's honor, Prongs," Sirius promised. Seconds later, he was gone.

"Did you do it?" Lily asked softly, as James felt the tears build up in his eyes.

"Yes," he choked out. "He won't remember what we said about joining Voldemort if he returns. He'll remember what was in our will about Caelum, Katherine, and Harry, and he will remember we are alive. But the fact that we are alive can't be told to anyone, no matter what, if they would use it to cause us harm- Peverell magic."

Lily nodded and sobbed into her husband's chest, terrified for the man who had shared such a huge part of her life with her. Even with the glamour charms on the children, you could still see more of Sirius than James in Adhara.

* * *

><p>Sirius bounded forward. If he kept up this speed, he would be at Moony's house in just another hour. Relief threatened to overcome him as he realized how close he was, when he smelled something familiar. Running faster, as he realized whom it was he smelled, his heart began to race. James was right, this was such a stupid plan. If Peter saw him, Merlin only knew what could happen. Panic did overwhelm him now, as he felt himself forced back into his human form, on a street crowded with muggles. Whipping around, he saw the man he had once called a brother smirk maliciously at him before shouting the words that would spend the next decade haunting him.<p>

"Lily and James, Sirius, how could you?" Peter shouted, before flashing another smirk and taking a dagger to his finger. Before Sirius could even reach for his wand, the street exploded, and when the dust settled, Peter was nowhere in sight. With a terrified sob, he sent a patronus to James.

"I swear, I didn't do it. I didn't go looking for him. He ambushed me. I'm sorry."

As the patronus flew away from him, pops in the air signaled the incoming apparition of Ministry officials, and terrified as he was, he did the only thing his body was capable of- he laughed.

* * *

><p>James and Lily were lying in bed talking quietly when Sirius's grim patronus glided into the room.<p>

"James!" Lily gasped. "What…"

Sirius's terrified voice began to echo through the room. "I swear, I didn't do it. I didn't go looking for him. He ambushed me. I'm sorry."

James closed his eyes, horror filling him as he realized what had happened. Lily's broken sobs didn't subside until near dawn, and by then, they both knew sleep wouldn't be coming to them. Sitting at the kitchen table clutching an untouched cup of coffee in one hand and his wife's in the other, he stared out the window waiting for the Daily Prophet owl to come gliding towards it.

Soon enough it did, and Lily, her eyes red and puffy let it in and paid the owl as James unrolled the paper, tears of his own beginning to fall as he read the headline.

_**Sirius Black caught! Peter Pettigrew and 12 muggles slaughtered in Black's latest attack. **_

_**Minister Fudge has ordered life in Azkaban for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's second in command.**_


End file.
